Breaking: L.A. law firm plans to file lawsuits against Universal Music Group on behalf of “more than 10, fewer than 100” music artists whose master recordings were destroyed in a 2008 fire.
A June 1, 2008, file photo shows fire on the backlot at Universal Studios Hollywood. The blaze destroyed a storage facility that housed original master recordings made by some of the most important names in popular music, according to a new report.
The total number of master recordings lost in the fire could run as high as 500,000 recordings, the report said.
UMG took issue with the New York Times Magazine story Tuesday, citing “numerous inaccuracies, misleading statements, contradictions and fundamental misunderstandings of the scope of the incident and affected assets.” King said he expected to file individual lawsuits on behalf of clients rather than class action suits.
“The master recording is like a painting,” he told The Times. “When you stand in front of the original, you are standing there in the presence of the artist. You can take a photo of the painting, but no photo — regardless of how high the resolution might be — can truly capture what’s in the original canvas.”
Yet a number of record producers, engineers and archivists have been far more aware than the general public of the extent of the fire’s destruction.
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